Doc Octus
by grandvizier527
Summary: Ilana gets sick with a disease that only affects Galalunans, and it's up to Octus to care for her. But can he create a cure before it's too late, especially now that Modula's calling in a drone strike? This is the third "episode" I have written (making it Episode 23).


Episode 23: Doc Octus

DISCLAIMER: ALL CHARACTERS MENTIONED IN THESE STORIES ARE COPYRIGHTS OF CARTOON NETWORK. I HAVE NO AFFILIATION TO SYM-BIONIC TITAN OR ITS CREATOR, GENNDY TARTAKOVSKY. I AM SIMPLY TRYING TO EXPAND ON HIS EXCELLENT WORK, NOW THAT THE SHOW, WHICH HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL, HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

K+

It was a bright and sunny morning. Octus was up and preparing breakfast, like he always did. Lance and Ilana would be too lazy to learn how to cook, so he had become the family chef. He also had to do all the housework every morning. This arrangement was especially difficult on school days. Octus sometimes found it difficult to balance his "Dad" and "Newton" identities. Lance and Ilana were lucky; they had just one identity, while he had 3. But then Octus remembered an Earth saying: Sometimes ya gotta deal with the cards you been dealt. When Octus managed to translate that phrase into Standard English, it became something he reminded himself often.

Just then, Lance bounded down the stairs. "Morning, Octus!"

"Good morning," Octus replied.

"What did you make for breakfast this time?" Asked Lance.

"The usual: eggs, bacon, and toast."

"Good. I see you got it just the way I like it."

"I have prepared it this way ever since I analyzed the preferences of your taste buds."

"I didn't know you could do that! That sounds cool."

"It's actually a simple process. Is Ilana awake?"

"Yeah. You know how long it takes for girls to get ready."

Ilana came down the stairs, but with far less optimism than usual. "Morning," she croaked. Her face looked a little green, and she had a number of red bumps on her arms and face. Her fingernails and the whites of her eyes also looked a little green. Octus analyzed Ilana. She was definitely ill, but he could not pinpoint the exact virus causing it. "Why are you two staring?" she asked, coughing.

"Oh, no," cried Lance. "Ilana, I think you have Verdusion! It might've been dormant inside your body when we first came here, and now it's become active! We've got to take you to the doctor to make sure!"

"What? If I do...this is just great," groaned Ilana. "At least I don't have any school. Let me know when you make an appointment," She returned to her bedroom.

"How is it a good thing to be sick?" asked Octus.

"She was being sarcastic," replied Lance.

"Oh. I will arrange an appointment with a doctor. But could you tell me the characteristics of this disease?" Octus asked. "Because I'm a machine, I am unfamiliar with most illnesses."

"It's a disease characterized by a greenish tint in the face, eyes, and fingernails, sometimes red bumps, sort of like pimples, and a violent cough," Lance explained. "Back in ancient times, people were exiled because the disease was incurable and highly contagious. But in today's modern age, Ilana will be fine as long as she gets a tablet of Hextilcin. But we need the doctors to make sure it's Verdusion, and not something else."

Suddenly, a moan came from upstairs. "Octus, could you send breakfast up here, please?" Ilana called from down the stairs.

"I'll be there in a second!" Octus called. "Well, _you_ still have to go to school today," he said to Lance. "I'm going to have to stay here and take care of Ilana."

"Sure," he replied. Octus caught a gleam in Lance's eye. Staring him down like a disciplined father, Octus asked, "Can I trust that you'll go to school, Lance, and not try to skip class?"

"Fine," Lance sighed. "I just don't see the point of it." He remembered that Octus could contact him whenever he felt like it, so it would have been hopeless to try and ditch anyway. He got in his car and drove off after breakfast.

Modula was following a scientist through the laboratories in the King's castle which housed Mutradi on Galaluna, yet again. This time, however, he wasn't looking for a beast. He was here to see the latest aircraft created by his own Galalunan troops. He soon arrived at the hangar at the end of the laboratory. It housed aircraft he had never seen before. A young Galalunan officer loyal to Modula gave a salute as the General approached.

"General, I hope you're pleased with the array of weapons these things have," said the officer. "Plasma bombs, burst fire, and a targeting computer built into each one. Their AI is high enough to require no pilot. All you have to do is give them the galactic coordinates of the Rift Gate, and they can fly off in space to go through, all by themselves," said the officer with confidence. "They're smart enough to dodge attacks and respond as a group. And as a bonus, they possess a weapon never before seen in the history of flight on this planet, blades on their wings designed to pierce metal," the officer went on.

"So they combat enemies directly? Seems a bit...risky," Modula said.

"They've got light frames, but they're quite sturdy, I assure you. They're no pushovers. I've gotta say that they are also very effective in frightening the rebels with their sheer speed and firepower."

"Yes, but are they effective on machines?" The General asked.

"Certainly," replied the officer. "They've already proven effective at slicing leftover Manus robots, so I'm certain they can break through Titan's hull as well."

"Let's hope so," Modula agreed. "How many did you say have been produced so far?"

"Five hundred, General," replied the officer.

"And who designed them?" Asked Modula.

"I did," the officer replied, matter-of-factly. Modula could see that this young man was a little thought a little too highly of himself. Not unlike he had been at that age.

Modula stared hard at this young man. Where had he seen him before? White hair, a narrow, almost pointy nose, and a taunting smirk given to allies and enemies alike? "What's your name, soldier, and what rank where you in before the coup?"

"I am Lieutenant Baron, General," Baron replied.

"Yes, I remember you now. If I hadn't had so much sympathy towards those cadets at the Academy those years ago, you would have crushed them all, wouldn't you?"

"Well, as I recall, General, you stopped Corporal Lance and me during our fight," Baron replied, remembering that day with disdain.

"I regret my intervention," Modula replied, staring forlornly into space. "I was...weak then. Send the fleet of these aircraft into the Rift Gate," he commanded Baron. Then he walked away. The lieutenant pressed a button which released the doors of the hangar that held the aircraft. Without a pilot, they each rocketed up into space, soaring higher and higher until they reached a massive wormhole. They vanished inside to go and fulfill their assignment.

Octus was on the phone, arranging the appointment for Ilana. After hanging up, he went back to Ilana's side.

"How're you feeling?" he asked in the kindest way a robot can.

"The same," Ilana replied, coughing. "When do you think I'll get better?"

"Lance said within a few days, if the doctor prescribes Hextilcin," Octus answered.

"Good. Stay with me, Octus," she said weakly.

"Okay," he replied. "Do you require any-?"

"No, I don't need anything," she said. "I just want you to stay here," she said. Octus placed a hand on her shoulder as she rolled on her side in bed, her back facing Octus. Octus placed a hand on her, and she fell asleep shortly afterward.

Thirty minutes later, Lance arrived home. "Hey," he said to Octus. "How's she doing?"

"No progress. I've just been caring for her. Her appointment is in an hour."

"Okay, good," he said. "I'll take over for now," he said to Octus. "You go monitor the Rift Gate," he said. "Let's hope nothing happens for a while." Lance walked into Ilana's room and found her, still asleep. He sat down at the foot of the bed, noticing her weak condition. Lance sighed and said to her (although she didn't hear it because she was asleep), "I've had to see you when you're weak or sick or depressed more often. I hate that."

"There is still hope, Father," Ilana muttered in her sleep. "Isn't there always?" Lance replied. Suddenly, Ilana woke up and sat upright.

"What!? Oh, hey, Lance. How was school? No, wait, you'll just say it was awful. Uhh...how was...life?"

"Awful," Lance replied jokingly. Ilana tried to laugh, but only ended up coughing.

"Hey, Lance?" Ilana asked.

"Yeah?"

"You do realize I'm sick, right?"

Lance immediately got off the bed and stood up, embarrassed by his actions. "Oh, I forgot! Now I'm probably going to get sick, too. I'm so sorry, Ilana."

"It's okay. At least you care, like Octus," she said.

"Ilana, it's time for your appointment," Octus said as he appeared in the doorway. To Lance, he added, "And what are _you _doing in here?"

"Just checking on her," Lance replied nervously.

"You can 'check on her' all you want after she gets better. We can't afford for you to get sick, too," Octus went on. "Now get dressed, Ilana. It's almost time for your appointment."

After Ilana had gotten dressed, they headed for the clinic. But of course, Octus had unknowingly booked his appointment with a children's clinic. The waiting room at the doctor's office which they arrived at was large and carpeted, with a TV plugged into the wall. If the situation wasn't so dire, Octus would have loved to watch The Animal Friends, his favorite show. The Animal Friends was just a little kid's educational show, but Octus, not really aware of that fact, used to hone his parenting skills. It had worked before. Unfortunately, today's episode had nothing to do with illnesses. Crying babies and frantic mothers were distributed unevenly in the room, trying to manage their children. Lance scowled as the three of them each took a seat. Of course. Leave it to Octus to get a _children's _doctor, thought Lance. This was just embarrassing for him. Octus, meanwhile, made sure to block all of Ilana's coughs, who could care less about the settings of the waiting room. This proved to be difficult, as there were lots of little children staring and pointing, approaching the sick princess out of curiosity. But an angry glare from Lance usually intimidated them. He wasn't about to let those urchins swarm the princess.

Eventually, a nurse wearing scrubs covered in cute animals called them in. A doctor was already waiting for them. His nametag read "Dr. Jacob Patterson, M.D." He instantly recognized that Ilana was the patient. After greeting them all, Dr. Patterson asked all the usual questions, such as how long she had been sick and what symptoms she had. After Ilana answered everything, he proceeded to test her throat for strep with a tongue depressor. Octus gazed with fascination as the doctor pressed what he thought was a popsicle stick on Ilana's tongue. Amazing that the Earthlings used flat sticks to enjoy icy treats and check for throat-dwelling bacteria strains! But Lance just watched suspiciously as the doctor continued his work by checking Ilana's ears and felt her heartbeat with his stethoscope. He glanced at the needles lying in a small bucket in the corner. What were those for? Were they weapons? He had to keep his guard up, in case that so called "doctor" tried to attack his princess. Well, Galaluna's princess, he corrected himself.

Finally, after analyzing his results in another room, Dr. Patterson said, "She's obviously discolored, but I can't seem to make a diagnosis," he concluded.

"Does she have Verdusion?" Lance asked.

"What?" Dr. Patterson asked.

"You know the disease you take Hextilcin for?"

"What are you talking about?"

Lance gave up. "He doesn't know, Octus. We have to assume Ilana has Verdusion. There's nothing these people can do. Let's go." So Lance left the doctor's office abruptly, leaving Octus and Ilana alone with Dr. Patterson.

"I do have something that will lessen the green coloration, however." He called in an animal scrubs-clad nurse, who was holding a needle. "This may hurt, but you will feel better. What like us to administer it?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. You have my permission to administer the drug," Ilana replied.

Lance had just reentered the room to get Ilana and Octus to follow him. "Are you guys coming? I-" and he saw the doctor about the stick the needle in Ilana's arm. He wasted no time to defend his princess. He rushed over to the doctor and delivered a kick in his stomach, causing him to drop the needle. Lance caught it before it hit the ground, and before the doctor could recover, Lance stood up and rushed at him, pinning him against the wall. "You have ten seconds to explain why you intended to harm the princess," he rasped, pointing the needle at Dr. Patterson's neck.

But the nurse, like Lance, was also good in unexpected situations. She whipped another needle from her coat pocket, and jammed it with moderate force into Lance's arm. Lance collapsed and dropped the needle. The nurse caught him before he fell and placed him gently on the examination table.

"It's just a mild sedative," the nurse replied to a shocked Ilana and Octus.

"I...I am so terribly sorry about my brother's behavior," Ilana said. "He's a bit...overprotective."

"I understand. I've had the displeasure of meeting patients and family members with stranger actions. Mainly because they are insane, of course. So where were we?" He said, picking up the needle Lance had dropped. He administered the medicine to Ilana. It was painful, but she had felt worse. Far worse.

After Lance had come to and they left the doctor's office, Ilana proceeded to scold Lance about what he had done to protect her. Octus decided to take her home in the middle of their argument. It was best for everyone. Octus then suggested that they head to the pharmacy to see if they had Hextilcin. Lance agreed to this idea. But when they arrived and asked if it was in stock, the pharmacist looked confused. "Well, this medicine you're talking about? We have nothing that matches your description. And if we did, it probably wouldn't be over-the-counter. I think you have this pill confused with something else. I'm licensed, and I can say that throughout my career, I have never heard of this thing. It probably doesn't exist."

"Yeah, it does," said Lance defiantly. "How will we cure my sister's Verdusion?"

"There is no such thing as Verdusion," replied the pharmacist.

"Yeah there is! How can you not know about-" Lance began.

"Lance, I don't think she knows what we're talking about," said Octus.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help," said the pharmacist. Then whispering to Octus so Lance wouldn't hear, "However, there may be something I can do about your son. If you can get it prescribed, I can give him a mild depressant to even out his mood."

On the drive home, Octus said, "Lance, perhaps the pharmacist didn't know what we were talking about because the virus that causes Verdusion does not exist on this planet. I've just scanned a large area, and I detected no viruses capable of causing all of the symptoms of Verdusion. The only way Ilana could have acquired it is if she had already come in contact with a strain before we left for Earth. Up until now, it seems that the virus has remained dormant. Seeing as the virus does not exist on this planet, then no cure was ever made. In other words, Hextilcin has, and likely never will, be produced on Earth."

"But if there's no Hextilcin on Earth" began Lance, "Ilana might...die. This disease is fatal if we can't find the cure. What are we gonna do? I-I mean, we-can't have Ilana die!"

"Maybe a can produce an artificial cure from materials on this planet," said Octus.

"Try anything! Ilana must live!" Said Lance through a fit of coughing. Octus scanned Lance. He detected a massive strain of bacteria in his throat. "Lance, don't panic, but I think you may have Verdusion, too."

"What?! No! I can't!" He cried his voice hoarse.

"Ilana must have spread it to you. Is it an airborne disease?" Octus asked. "You must have acquired from visiting Ilana. I knew that would bring bad results."

"I couldn't help it; I felt sorry for her, in her condition," Lance explained sheepishly. "And now I feel sorry for having made things worse for you," he said through a fit of coughs.

Days passed. Lance and Ilana were both in bed and coughing violently. Octus knew he only had so much time to find a cure. Otherwise... he did not want to think about that. He was constantly tending to their every need. Octus knew he didn't have much time when Ilana started coughing violently. Her breathing rate and blood pressure dropped severely. "Octus, when will I get better?" she asked.

"Very soon," Octus replied as he massaged her head, taking care to shape Ilana's hair back into its usual onion-shaped style. Octus felt as if he had lied to her.

"Hey, Octus, can you get me a glass of water?" Lance called. After pulling the covers over Ilana's body, as she requested, Octus went in the kitchen and did just that.

"Here you go", he said when he came back. Lance's swollen throat had difficulty swallowing. Lance put the cup down and flipped over in his bed. "I'm gonna take a nap," he said. Octus left his room.

In truth, he had come to grips with the fact that they both would die soon if untreated. Nevertheless, Octus didn't give up. He tried combining every concoction of chemicals, medicines, and herbs known on Earth. But nothing worked. Octus knew he had would have to call someone who knew a lot about the materials on this strange planet. There was only one Earthling who he could explain the situation to that had any chance of helping him.

Octus made sure that the teens were asleep. When he found that they were, he went outside, turned off his hologram when he found that no one was around, and floated towards the location of the main G3 airship.

When he arrived, he was greeted warmly by Solomon. "I know why you're here. I've already set aside one of our laboratories for research."

"How did you know-?" Octus began.

"No time! Just follow me to the lab!" Solomon said frantically. Octus followed him into a dimly lit room with chrome colored walls. Three long lab tables spanned the room, and there were shelves with their backs against the wall at the end of each one. Both tables and shelves were covered in beakers and test tubes with chemicals in them, along with other scientific paraphernalia.

"I don't recognize this room," Octus said.

"We've rarely used it, but we've had for a while, just for these sorts of situations," Solomon said. "Now, let's get to work," he said, cracking his knuckles and removing his hat.

Solomon and Octus worked on an artificial cure in the laboratory for days, with Octus returning home at certain hours of the day to check on the teens. Experiments had failed, test subjects had died or remained unaffected, and more than a few chemical explosions had occurred. Octus noticed the gradual graying of Solomon's hair as the days passed, and as he received news from him of Ilana's and Lance's worsening conditions. There were times when he would simply leave the lab momentarily. Solomon said it was to use the bathroom, but Octus knew that was a cover-up of some kind, considering that he had used it before. But now was not the time to dwell on it.

In the few minutes he had to think, Octus felt that it was ironic, the fact that Solomon had once captured Lance and Ilana for interrogation and taken them to the very airship he was on now shortly after they arrived on the planet. But he had made up for the harm he had caused back then. While Octus had been "killed" by that energy creature, Solomon gave Lance and Ilana shelter and protected them from Steel until Octus was revived by one of G3's scientists. Octus had to thank him and whoever it was that revived him when he had the chance. Hopefully, Lance and Ilana could meet the man, too, when this was all over. Unless, of course, Octus and Solomon failed...

But on the sixth day, everything changed. Something that they hadn't tried had actually worked. "Octus! I've found it!" exclaimed Solomon. Octus rushed over to see his progress. Solomon was working with a large beaker half-filled with an orange liquid. "It turns out that last ingredient we needed was a few chains of glucose."

"I thought it might have been a sugar that we needed," said Octus, relieved.

"There is one problem, though," said Solomon. He used tweezers to reach into the liquid and pulled out a tablet of Hextilcin that looked just as Lance had described it. "It took almost all of the time we've been working on this just to form one pill. "Unless we can find a substance to act as a catalyst to speed up the reaction process, it will take 5 days to form another pill."

Octus ran his calculations. Regardless of whether he gave the first pill to Lance or Ilana, they would not be able to form another pill before one of them would die. The robot came to a realization: he would have to choose which of his friends to save, and which one to perish.

"Because she caught Verdusion first, and the fact that she is vital to your mission, I am afraid that Ilana will have to receive the pill, and Lance-" Solomon began. Octus, who had been in his robot form for a while now, activated his Mr. Lunis hologram and banged his fists on the table, to get his point across.

"No! I can't choose between Lance and Ilana! When they are around me, I feel for them as... a parent does for their children. I have had to serve Lance and Ilana not just as a robot guardian, but also as a protective, caring mother, and a devoted, capable father, to make up for the absence of both," Octus went on. "I cannot have a favorite between my two friends. Not only are they my friends, but they are also... like my children. I don't know what I'd do if either of them were to die. We've got to find a suitable catalyst." Just then, a worker G3 soldier came entered the laboratory. The soldier held up a purple stone. Solomon took it from him and placed in the liquid. The G3 soldier whispered something in Solomon's ear so quietly that not even Octus' auditory receptors could pick it up. Within seconds, another pill was formed.

"I've done it!" Solomon cried, presenting the second pill to Octus.

"How did you come up with a suitable catalyst?" Octus asked. "Did the soldier that just walked in here tell you something?"

"Yes, but it was only a suggestion. We're lucky it worked," Solomon lied. Octus thanked Solomon for his help and left. When the robot had gone, Solomon went to a room in the back of the airship. "You could've helped us, you know!" He cried to the man who had revived Octus. "Don't you care about them?"

"Of course I do! How dare you accuse me of heartlessness!" The mystery man replied. "I couldn't risk my identity being compromised, and besides, it took me just as long to figure out how to make a catalyst as it did for you two to make a single pill! The chemistry on this planet isn't what I'm used to do."

"I'm Sorry. It must be hard, just staying here and watching them, worrying," Solomon said.

"Indeed," the mystery man replied. He gave a long sigh that seemed to give an auditory window into his mind for just a moment. But Solomon already knew what was there.

"Thank you, Solomon. You've been a good friend to me."

When he arrived at the house, Octus quickly gave the pills to Lance and Ilana. They nearly vomited, and their eyelids fluttered. But after a few minutes, their skin cleared, they sinuses returned to normal, and they were back to normal.

"We can't thank you enough, Octus," said Ilana.

"Yeah. You saved our lives," added Lance.

"Well...you two are...like children to me," replied Octus.

"Octus, that's so sweet, the way you feel about us," said Ilana. "Well, I'm going downstairs to get something to eat. I haven't had much food these past few days," she said, leaving the room. Lance was about to leave, too, but Octus followed him.

"Is something on your mind, Lance? I'm detecting some angst in your brainwaves," Octus asked. Lance sighed as he opened the door to his room and sat down on his bed, turning to face the robot.

"Yeah. When you said we were like your children, it reminded me of...my dad," Lance said forlornly.

"Oh. How so?" Octus asked, careful not to be too pushy about this delicate subject.

"Well...you've pretty much done everything that my dad would probably do if he was here with us. It's like you've...taken his place. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that you've been like a father to us, but...seeing you care for us the way he used to when I was little is just a constant reminder of how much I miss him." Lance closed his eyes, trying to convert his sorrow into anger. It was what he had done at the time when Octus died. It was what he did whenever he felt upset. That way, no one would ever see him cry. Not even Ilana. When he opened his eyes, Octus saw the intense, wrinkled scowl on his face.

"Why did he have to die? Because of it, I've lived like an orphan, Octus. For five years no one's loved me. There's been no one to share my...pain with," he said, struggling to let the words escape his lips. Octus watched as Lance fought back tears. Lance gulped down the lump in his throat. He took a big breath of air and sighed.

"Sorry you had to see me like that," he said.

"If you ever want to talk about it..." Octus began.

"No, forget it. I just wanted to say...thanks for being here. If my dad was here, he'd be proud of how you've helped us."

"Thank you, Lance," Octus replied. Then Octus indicated an all-too-familiar anomaly in space.

"We can talk later. I just detected the Rift Gate opening," he announced. They found Ilana, formed Titan, and headed out to face their next foe.

Titan rocketed into the open skies above Sherman. All was quiet, save for the wind pushing the clouds.

"It seems to be a group of unmanned aircraft this time," Octus said. "I believe the people of Earth call these 'drones', only these far surpass Earth ones. The metal alloy is something most peculiar. I don't think these belong to Steel." They watched as dozens of small, silver blurs streaked towards them. Before Titan could act, a sharp pain was felt on its side.

"Gah! What was that?" Lance said.

"I think it came from the aircraft. Initiating Targeting Computer," Octus said.

"What are you using that for?" Ilana asked.

"I can use it to target the aircraft as they circle us," Octus replied. Suddenly, the aircraft fired on Titan from various points in rapid succession.

"We've got to get rid of 'em! Initiating Sym-Bionic Sword!" Lance cried. Titan unsheathed its sword and swung it above its head. But it was a clean miss. The drones had dispersed rapidly. Before Titan tried to swing its sword in a circle as the drones closed in once more, but they strafed to avoid the reckless slashing. In retaliation, they fired plasma bombs from above on Titan's head. At the same time, they fired their guns at Titan's feet, cutting off the drones.

"They just killed our engines!" Ilana cried.

"Brace for impact," Octus said.

Titan tumbled down to Earth, and the drones nosedived after it, dropping more plasma bombs ahead of them. Titan finally landed in the middle of the forests of Sherman with a crash. The drones swooped low, firing more blasts as Titan got up. It tried to swing the sword, but the drones dodged yet again.

"They're too fast!" Growled Lance.

"Don't be too reckless. Let me use the Targeting Computer. I'll handle this!" Octus said to Lance. Titan's computer focused its crosshairs on a small cluster of drones circling for another attack.

"Strike when I tell you to. The computer will handle the rest!" Octus called. "Ready..."

As he spoke, a group of ten or so drones started to fire at Titan once more.

"Now!" Octus cried. Lance tried to get Titan to swing its sword with his thoughts, but the computer did it automatically before he had any control. Titan swung its sword in arc into what seemed like mid-air. But several explosions occurred, indicating that some of the drones had been destroyed.

"Initiating Neuron Missiles!" Cried Ilana. "We can use these to speed up the targeting process!"

"Good call," said Lance. "Fire!" he cried. The computer automatically locked on to some stray drones. As they made a wide U-turn to try and strike once more, Titan's sword disappeared. Next, the outer armor of Titan's shoulders opened up, and a missile launcher housing several blue and yellow missiles appeared. The missile launcher on Titan resembled the missile-launcher "shoulders" of the Manus robot. Before any of the trio could issue any commands, Titan fired the missiles under the guidance of the computer. The missiles hit more of the drones. When all the missiles were fired, more appeared in their place. Titan fired a second round of missiles, and they launched themselves into the silver drones as they scrambled around Titan, trying to fire at again. But the missiles were faster than the drones, and more of them exploded around Titan. The trio watched as the remaining drones fled the scene, trying to regroup. They met up some 500 feet ahead of Titan, and charged at maximum speed. Before Titan could attack again, the blades at the ends of the wings of the drones jabbed into Titan from the side, causing many deep gashes in Titan's outer armor and exposing Titan's machinery. Circling around, they fired in rapid bursts directly into the gashes, causing even more pain.

"Quick! Initiating Dual swords!" Cried Lance, trying to act fast.

"I'll get the computer to pinpoint the locations of the remaining aircraft," Octus said.

As he was speaking, two short daggers appeared in Titan's hands. The computer located the remaining drones, and as they charged once more, Titan slashed at them with the dual swords with lightning fast reflexes. The last jet tried to retreat.

"Initiating Cosmic Bow!" Lance cried. A quiver of arrows appeared on Titan's back, and a bow formed in Titan's hand. Titan readied an arrow and fired. The arrow whizzed through the air until it drove straight through the last jet. Both made a massive explosion, and the last jet was destroyed.

"Thank goodness that's over!" Ilana cried. "Now let's go home!" She said as Titan flew back to their house.

"Hey, Octus, could you make us dinner?" Lance asked.

"Well, after I've helped to take care of you..." Octus paused, thinking for the right words. "Gladly," he replied. "But no desserts until after you've finished, okay?"

"Awww!" Lance and Ilana cried with mock disappointment.


End file.
